


Kisses Like Shooting Stars

by idontevenlogic



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Believe in true love Iwaizumi goddamnit, Flowers, M/M, Magic, Mutual Pining, Shameless references to musicals, Stars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-22 18:37:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12488248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idontevenlogic/pseuds/idontevenlogic
Summary: After many years, Iwaizumi decided that life was just fucking with him. He was ready, had been since these magics propped up at the young age of eight. Boy or girl, scarred or flawless, he wanted to feel like he belonged with someone. Slowly but surely the little stars were starting to become a little bit dimmer, their golden glow not quite as brilliant as it had been when he still believed in finding someone to belong with. And when that happened, a horrible thought popped into his head: You’ll never find them.(Or, the AU where soulmates gain little abilities when they meet each other. Iwaizumi met his soulmate when he was little, was then separated from them before he knew who they were, and now only has little stars to remind him that his soulmate is out there somewhere.)CURRENTLY BEING EDITEDPROBABLY WILL NOT UPDATE FOR A WHILE





	1. Dude, You Are Cooler Than A Vintage Cassette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could be working on the Knives and Bullets, Lavender and Mint series or I could finally finish my fucking fantasy AU, but NAH WHY DO THAT WHEN I COULD WRITE SOME PINING SOULMATES?! I also just really like the idea of Iwaizumi and Oikawa surrounding themselves with stars because of magic and not just because they're in outer space. (I would totally write an astronaut AU, but that would require me to have taken a better Astronomy course than the one I'm being tortured with right now. WHICH ISN'T EVEN TEACHING ME ABOUT ASTRONOMY??????????)
> 
> So, yes, enjoy this much cuter fic before I go back to writing cutthroat backstories for my other series and the actual conflict of my fantasy AU.
> 
> I hope you like it!

Iwaizumi Hajime had met a number of remarkable people in his time. On an earth where people obtain unique, matching powers when they meet their soulmate, you’re definitely bound to encounter fascinating individuals. Some people had something as simples having their eyes resemble that of an animal’s, or something as amazing as being able to grow wings and fly. His friends Hanamaki and Matsukawa could both make flowers grow on any surface, including themselves, and Yahaba and Kyoutani could grow claws (which he was assured didn’t put them off from getting handsy with each other). And in college, he later met people like Kuroo and Kenma who could understand the whines and purrs of animals and communicate back.

It was hard not to think about what your own powers could be when you met the love of your life. When Iwaizumi was only a little boy, he imagined that he might grow scales like Godzilla’s or gain the reptilian monster’s atomic breath. Looking back, that seemed a tad too ambitious and like something out of a comic, but when he was a kid, he had wished for that. Kids are allowed to dream. So, he learned early on that you didn’t choose your powers, but the the abilities were granted based on something important between the soulmates.

Instead of awesome, loud powers, he was stuck with little stars springing up from the palms of his hand or the muscles of his back. Whenever the little sparks of light would spring up from his skin and brighten up his room in the middle of the night, his chest would clench painfully. All because he missed them. He missed his soulmate. He didn’t really even know who his soulmate was, but had apparently met them and then let them slip through his fingers. Now, he was left with this little ability to remind him that he was alone and that his soulmate was just as lonely. It did stir him to look for his destined, but every time he thought he had found them, they belonged to someone else instead.

After many years, Iwaizumi decided that life was just fucking with him. He was ready had been since these magics propped up at the young age of eight. Boy or girl, scarred or flawless, he wanted to feel like he belonged with someone. Slowly but surely, the little stars were starting to become dimmer, their golden glow not nearly as brilliant as they had been when he still believed in searching for his soulmate. And when that happened, a horrible, gut-wrenching thought popped into his head on the day of his high school graduation: _What if I never find them?_

So, Iwaizumi decided to go to university to give up. There, he could forget, get list in crowds and not stand out as the one who lost his soulmate. It would be easier since he had learned to control the dying stars that lay just beneath his tawny skin. It might be hard to give up, but he was certain it would be for the best. He had lost his moment years ago, and was more than ready to throw himself out into the world to find other moments that would surely make up the one he’d lost.

Now, here he was, following a group on a campus tour that went with the orientation to the university of his choice, though he was not exactly paying attention to every little detail fed to him as he was also texting his friends Matsukawa Issei and Hanamaki Takahiro. The two would be attending another university, deciding to stay close to him, the Miyagi prefecture, while Iwaizumi was headed off to Tokyo, more specifically the University of Tokyo. If there was one thing that Iwaizumi was jealous of, it was that he would have to suffer through sharing a dorm with stranger while Matsukawa and Hanamaki were going to be living together and be disgustingly stupid in love.

Iwaizumi just hoped that whoever he was stuck with wasn’t going to be a pain in the ass.

So, he trudged along, half listening to the tour guides, who were students that were positively delighted to share with them what a great and “relaxing” year they would have as incoming freshmen. It didn’t take an idiot to see that the tour guides were jittery from caffeine as a result of staying up way too late, either studying or partying. Iwaizumi found it a little amusing, but then thought about what a mess he might turn into during midterms and finals, and then inwardly groaned.

His eyes wandered, taking in the campus grounds. The walkways were paved with a chalky white cement that caught the sun and almost seemed to glow (a but uncomfortably bright but still cool), and there were plenty of large patches of virescent grass with large trees to lounge under. That might be comfy. Iwaizumi always did prefer to be outside when studying, stressed or otherwise, because the fresh air did wonders for his mind and focus. There were a few pairs of students playing with their abilities among each other, and some were playing with a number of stray cats that were sunbathing, also basking in the attention. It seemed that students here were just as bad at staying focused as anywhere else, always searching for a distraction.

“So, now that our tour is winding down to a close, are there are questions?” one of the tour guides asked.

“Is housing already sorted or is there still time for us to request roommates?” someone in the group asked, raising their hand and speaking with the strongest and surest voice Iwaizumi had ever heard in his entire life. Iwaizumi wasn't one to take speedy assumptions, but he was almost certain that the guy had been a sports team captain in high school.

“Unfortunately, selections for housing are closed now,” the other guide replied, puffing our his chest to show how proud he was for answering a question. Until now, he had been checking his phone constantly, probably hoping to find out about his schedule or a booty call from his soulmate. Either were a possibility. “If you wanted a specific roommate, you could have put in a request up until two weeks ago.”

The tour guides turned around and continued to pleasantly walk on, pointing out an older building and beginning to discuss its history, as no one else raised a hand for questions.

“Huh. Well, that’s too bad,” the incoming student huffed, acceptingly.

“Yes, yes, most unfortunate,” the guy strolling easily beside him agreed, giving the other a not-so subtle tap on the ass, making the other jump.

“Suga!” the other hissed in surprise, steps faltering and nearly tripping over himself. His face flushed a deep shade of red, that this Suga smiled at innocently.

“Is something wrong, Daichi?” Suga asked, simply giving him an award winning smile before flunking on ahead like he hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary of what might be considered proper etiquette in a public place. He even batted his eyelashes at Daichi too. Iwaizumi got a sneaking suspicion that Suga could be the playful sort.

Iwaizumi felt the corners of his lips tug into a small smile. There interaction was kind of adorable, and the two had obviously been dating for a while now if they were that comfortable with one another. Or, who knows, maybe they just _clicked_ with each other? Soulmates were soulmates, but it was rare that they were a perfect match. Maybe this Suga and Daichi were each other’s half in more ways than one.

When meeting a pair of soulmates like those two, Iwaizumi was understandably jealous. Not bitterly, but wistfully. It was what he wanted since he gained his powers, and they were living happily with what he wanted, something that seemed so intangible now, like an apple hanging from a branch just too high for him too reach.

Iwaizumi was, admittedly, a bit of a sap. He wasn’t a hopeless romantic but he was the type of guy to be touched but ending of the _PrincessBride_ and, with little prompting necessary, could also recite every word from Samuel L. Jackson’s Ezekiel 25:17 monologue from _Pulp Fiction_. (He may prefer _Pulp Fiction_ , but he would be damned if he heard anyone bad mouth one of the best love stories in all of cinema.) So, maybe that wasn’t as awesome as being the lead singer or guitarist in a band, or an actor in the theatre department productions, but it was still cool. He wanted someone to share this with, someone who really like this little quirks and accepted them wholeheartedly.

But now wasn’t the time for wishful thinking. Now was the time to forget until he didn’t ache from the stars anymore.

When the tour (finally) came to an end, they were encouraged to further explore the campus grounds, but Iwaizumi found himself seeking the seclusion of his dorm room. He wanted to get unpacked and start reading the first few chapters of his textbooks, just to get enough ahead so that he wouldn’t be too lost on the first days of classes. Yeah, it wasn’t totally necessary, but he didn’t see a problem in being prepared ahead of time. Oddly enough, it seemed that the two soulmates from earlier had the same idea. They introduced themselves as Sugawara Koushi and Sawamura Daichi. They were far from unfriendly, approaching with casual, light conversation, asking about schedules and just how they were trying to survive the first semester. They were a very warm pair.

“I’m going to _live_ off tea,” Sugawara stated, almost defiantly “I refuse to subject myself to that addictive shit and the terrible breath you get afterwards. This guy over here, though, cant get going in the ring without a glass of coffee as black as our friend Kageyama Tobio’s soul before he met his soulmate Hinata Shouyou.”

“I take it you’re a morning person,” Iwaizumi asked.

“Oh, I love mornings! The sun is coming up, the air feels so fresh, theres dew on the grass to wet your feet, and it’s all so quiet, especially in the early morning. There’s no sounds of traffic and you can just sit outside in stupid pajamas without anyone looking at you funny.”

“I hate mornings,” Daichi grumbled, “but when you have a soulmate like Suga here, you go and enjoy the simple things with him. Just with a large cup of untainted coffee.”

“What about you, Iwaizumi?” Sugawara prodded curiously. “Have you found your soulmate yet?”

“No,” Iwaizumi lied, giving a sheepish smile. It technically wasn’t a lie, per se. it just wasn’t the wholehearted, honest to gods truth. He had met his soulmate, but he just didn’t know when he did or who they were. “They’re out there somewhere, but how did you two meet?” Nice switch there.

“I faked drowning in a pool to get the attention of a cute lifeguard,” Sugawara replied, elbowing Sawamura playfully. “It didn’t work because the idiot wasn’t paying attention. So, then this handsome devil of mine swooped in and saved my ass from fake drowning after my best friend flagged him down. Daichi gave me mouth-to-mouth and everything because he was so freaked. It scared him when I was miraculously fine and gave him quick kiss back.”

“Can you really blame me, though, Iwaizumi? I thought a dead man had slipped his tongue into my mouth,” Sawamura replied. “It just sounds so gross!”

“You freaked out plenty but you didn’t pull away or complain.” Sugawara was grinning devilishly, eyes glinting with mischief as he leaned into Sawamura’s personal space. “You even enjoyed it.”

“You were an attractive corpse. If you were a zombie, I would still be inclined to date you.”

“Do I have to start kink-shaming you for finding a corpse, a dead body, attractive?” Iwaizumi asked, chuckling.

Sawamura groaned miserably, running a hand over his face as Sugawara sneaked his hand down and threaded their fingers together. “Please don’t, Iwaizumi. I already hear enough about that from Oikawa, who refuses to let it go even now!”

Oikawa . . . Iwaizumi didn’t quite know why, but the name sounded very familiar. He just couldn’t place where he’d heard it before. So, he just sent a questioning glance in Sugawara’s direction, hoping for an explanation some sort as to who this Oikawa was while Daichi just looked like he was having a cringe attack.

“Oikawa Tooru is my long time best friend and the roommate I’m currently stuck with fir this school year,” Sugawara helpfully explained., “It’s funny. He’s always been so clingy, almost like a child, but as soon as he heard I found Daichi, my soulmate and that Daichi would also be attending Tokyo University, OIkawa insisted that I try and find a way to room with my boyfriend. He did this even though we had agreed to room with each other our first year in university so we could have some familiarity in a new place. You might see him around sometime. He’s constantly on the move.”

“Yeah, he’s hard to miss too,” Sawamura laughed. “He has this constant stream of fangirls following him to and fro whenever he does. They hope that he’s their soulmate, and their attention has gone to his head. Fueled his confidence to an all time high. It doesn’t help that he was a star athlete in high school either, the best setter in prefecture—Ow!” Sugawara had given him a teasing, but not so gentle slap on the arm. “Okay, okay! Because I’m biased and Suga’s boyfriend, Oikawa is not the best setter in the prefecture!”

Iwaizumi bristled at Oikawa’s description, like he was met with a cold wins. He’d had his share of running into assholes like that more than he’d cared to. He wasn’t too keen on getting personal with any of them, even if he was hoping to meet some colorful people in his university years. So, he would be polite to this Oikawa Tooru if need be, but he wasn’t going to go out of his way to locate this guy. Even if he was a good friend of Sugawara, someone who seemed like too good of a person to be true. This Oikawa was probably just like a peacock, all show with a terrible personality a vain soulmate to match.

Walking into the dormitory, Iwaizumi was surprised to find it relatively empty. The only company amongst the three was a thrum of an orchestral soundtrack coming from another floor. Everyone else must’ve still been on tours, getting together with friends from high school, or getting acquainted with their new roommates over lunch. So, they made their way up the stirs and too the second floor. The music was growing louder and louder still. They carefully stepped over and around stray boxers that overflowed from various rooms. Reaching his dorm, Iwaizumi was pleasantly surprised to find that Sawamura was his roommate and that Sugawara was just a few doors down.

So, that’s where the famous Oikawa Tooru was staying . . .

The dorm was very nice. Two beds on opposite sides of the room and individual desks set off to the side of each, a lamp awkward set off towards the back of the room. Iwaizumi didn’t know what he’d been expecting. Sure, this was a prestigious school but the rooms still pretty damn spacious. The walls were a plan eggshell white and the floors were a pale hardwood. It was weird to look at a room and see it so bare, having crammed his room back at home with as many movie and sports posters as he could. But now he could make this place his own as well.

“What are the odds?” Sawamura asked, rhetorically speaking. “I was worried I was going to be stuck with a roommate like Oikawa or Kuroo, or, god forbid, Bokuto, but I think we really lucked out here.”

Sawamura opened one of his few suitcases and started unpacking his clothes to hang into the closest on his side of the room. Iwaizumi was doing the same with his own clothes so they wouldn’t get too wrinkled. He was feeling too lazy to iron today.

“From what you tell me of him, yeah, we lucked out all right,” Iwaizumi agreed.

He finished putting away his clothes and now set to sorting his bookshelf. He was pleased to find that Sawamura was much like him in the way of decorating. Rather than packing to impress everyone on their dorm floor, both had packed just enough to make their side of the room give a good idea of who they were. In the background, the music a few doors down suddenly grew louder, to sound almost as blaring as a live rock concert, and now they could also hear some nonsensical shouting. Iwaizumi now recognized the music to be Duel of Fates from the Star Wars franchise.

“Although, I think our neighbors might turn out to be a tad more annoying than I’d like.”

“You have no idea,” his roommate sighed, regretfully.

“You know them?” Iwaizumi raised his eyebrows.

“If my hunch is right, then with regretful yes, I know them,” Sawamura replied. He yanked open a box. “They’re bad guys, really. They’re just out of control nerds. I don’t know how Suga has managed to put up with them for so long now. Seriously, the amount of times I’ve seen Oikawa and Kuroo get into the stupidest of arguments just because they want to settle it with a lightsaber battle with astound you. And then there’s the times they reenact various scenes from Sherlock Holmes shows and movies, because Oikawa and Kuroo wanted to feel more like smartasses than usual.”

“This Oikawa sounds more and more like a pain in the ass the more you tell me about him,” Iwaizumi grumbled. He stacked his book loudly on the desk and shelf with no real sense of organization and more a need to just put things away because he was tired.

“Despite what I said earlier about Oikawa torturing me about my first kiss with Suga, he’s really not all that bad once you get to know him. He’s just more outgoing and energetic than you might be expecting. He just takes some getting used to is all.” Sawamura chuckled. “Plus, I owe him. I might not have met Suga if he hadn’t grabbed me at the pool and said, _‘Hey, you, you’re hot, save save my best friend!’_ ”

There was a knock at the door and an exasperated Sugawara stumbled in, rubbing his temples like he had a headache. His silvery hair was in disarray, as opposed to earlier when it had appeared combed, and hazel eyes were pinched shut. “They’re _really_  loud right now. I’ll finish unpacking later. Mind if I hang out here for a bit?”

Iwaizumi nodded as Sawamura replied, “You know I always like having you around.” Sawamura then walked over and planted a kiss on the corner of his soulmate’s mouth. The two began to unpack the rest of Daichi’s belongings. “So, what shenanigans were they up to this time?”

An overdramatic, loud scream echoed over the boring music.

“Ah, and Qui Gon Jinn just died,” Sugawara observed as an answer, moving to Sawamura’s books in alphabetical order. “You know my idiots. They never miss a chance to play _Star Wars_. Their excuse this time was that they needed to break in the new rooms. Apparently they left there tours as quick as possible so they could unpack and get right into the lightsaber battle. Somehow, Akaashi hasn’t run for the hills yet.”

“And Kenma?”

“Did the smart thing and hid somewhere. Even Akaashi’s school ranking was higher than most of us, Kenma’s the genius in this instance.” Sugawara turned to Iwaizumi with a warm, apologetic smile. “They’ll tire out eventually, but, until then, I’m sorry you have to hear them being so loud like this before you’ve even met them. Although, they’re just as loud and obnoxious in person and without the music.”

“Oh, it’s fine, really,” Iwaizumi replied, waving the worry away dismissively. “So, other than a bunch go bumbling idiots running rampant in there how’s your room?”

Sugawara laughed. “Just like I thought it’d be. Oikawa has covered his half of the ceiling in fairy lights, put up all his SciFi posters, and has effectively covered our window sills in flowers. He was also starting to unpack for my side like the good best friend he is but then Bokuto challenged him to a duel and he got distracted. At least, my comforter is unpacked, though.”

“Well, at least he tried to be nice,” Sawamura allowed.

Sugawara gently kicked him. “Be kind. Oikawa is always nice, just in a conceited way.” He examined one of Sawamura’s books and gave his boyfriend a doubtful look afterwards, like an I’m disappointed in you expression, which Sawamura met with a sheepish grin. “The good thing is this, he brought his flowers and has already taken care of their transition. I never liked gardening, but he makes it fun somehow. He brought his anemones, red carnation, white clovers, and hollies. For all his complaint abut getting sweaty and feeling gross, he loves to garden.”

“Why?” Iwaizumi asked. “Isn’t it kind of boring?” He was always more of an active guy. Going for a long jog in the morning in the park, bike riding, or playing volleyball until he collapsed and his feet ached. That was all more his style. Garden just felt like one of those lazy projects, where you, literally, sit and watch grass grow.

“If you’re with the wrong person, it’s boring as hell,” Sugawara answered. “Oikawa’s never boring, though. He loves to talk about flowers and their meanings. It’s one of those rare moments that he’s so pure that you forget that he can be a egotistical narcissist about his beauty and intelligence.”

“Huh.”

“So, Iwaizumi, what do you think your magics are going to be like when you find your soulmate?” Sawamura asked, changing the subject to something Iwaizumi would rather not talk about. “Any particular kind you’re hoping for?”

“I’ll take whatever I get,” he replied, anyway. “What about you two lovebirds? What did you get?”

“Suga and I have a spot of power over our words, or maybe its our presence. We can control the effect our words have on people. Basically, we’re the ultimate motivational speakers or downright terrifying if we want to be. Happiness, regret, confidence, or even fear, you name it and we can inspire it in you. I’m still learning how to control it, but Suga here has already mastered it.”

“That’s awesome,” Iwaizumi said. He had wondered why talking with them was so easy going. Given their soulmate abilities though, now it didn’t seem so strange.

“It is, but it’s still did to tell a guy to screw and then watch him walk away happy, like it had been a privilege.”

“A guy tried to rob me at one point, after I started dating Daichi,” Sugawara shared, all too casually. “I used the magics to get him to tell me why he was doing this, and then I gave him some yen and sent him on his way. I saw him right before we left for Tokyo. He’s got a stable job now.”

“That’s really nice of you,” Iwaizumi said. “It’s good you two ave that power and not some manipulative assholes.” He was about to open his mouth again to say more, but he was rudely interrupted by what sounded quite akin to the screeches of dying cats coming from he hallway just outside tier door.

“APOCALYPSE OF THE DAMNED!” one voice screamed.

“LEVEL NINE!” another joined in.

“THE CAFÉTORIUM!” all three screamed together in unison.

There was the sound of thundering footsteps as the group tustve rushed past the slightly ajar door of Iwaizumi and Sawamura’s dorm and stampeded down the stairs at the end of the hall. After a few moments of silence, two heads peeked around the corner of the door and looked at Sugawara. Well, one of them did anyway, the one with slightly curled, inky hair and bluish green eyes, while the other one with a dying dye job was focused on his PSP with the volume turned up all the way.

“Akaashi, Kenma,” Sugawara smiled. “Finally saving yourselves from the Tasmanian Devils?”

“They want food,” Akaashi sighed. He nodded respectfully to Iwaizumi and Sawamura in greeting, eyes not giving away any signs of feeling awkward, being outgoingly friend, or distaste. He seemed rather neutral on the subject of their presence.

“And you guys are going with them why?” Sugawara asked, quirking an eyebrow up.

“They’d put their wallets on Oikawa’s desk before changing into their Jedi robes, and have now left without them.” He held up three wallets. One was covered in various, well-known chemical and mathematical formulas, another decorated in cartoonish, cute owls, and the last was spotted with green alien heads and stars. They were laughably ugly, but had character.

“Of course they left their wallets behind. Why wouldn’t they?” Sugawara chuckled and stood up. “I cant believe I’m saying this, but I could go for some food myself.” He turned to his boyfriend and Iwaizumi. “Do you two want me to bring something back? Or do you want to come with? I promise you, Iwaizumi, that they are _sometimes_ better behaved in public.”

Sawamura looked at Iwaizumi, who just shrugged unhelpfully and went back to unpacking his belongings. “I think we’ll be fine. Plus, we should really let Iwaizumi recover from hearing Oikawa, Kuroo, and Bokuto’s rendition of Two Player Game.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, yes, my need to include musicals and other things theatre in everything I do is rearing its ugly head again.


	2. 'Cause In A Sky Full Of Stars I Think I Saw You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suddenly the door was opened with a flourish and a boy skipped merrily into the class. He surveyed the room and regrettably chose the seat right next to Iwaizumi, humming a nonsensical tune to himself. “Hi, there,” he greeted, holding his hand out, using it to nudge Iwaizumi’s shoulders until he would get the other to turn and face him. “My name is Oikawa Tooru!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now Iwaizumi will meet Oikawa . . . And it doesn't go as planned!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Iwaizumi didn’t think that his first glimpse of the infamous Oikawa Tooru would be so . . . mundane.

Over the next few days before classes actually began, Iwaizumi had been left to his own devices to settle in and form a routine. He went his morning jogs and developed several routes he could take around the campus to get some proper exercise, read through the first few chapters of his textbooks alongside jotting down some basic notes so he wouldn’t be totally lost on the first day of classes, and occasionally met with Sugawara and Sawamura for lunch, after they had assured him that their friends wouldn’t in attendance or in the vicinity. While that a had been a form of reassurance, Iwaizumi really wouldn’t have had a problem with loud company. While he wasn’t the obvious people person, and relatively far from a people pleaser in general, he knew how to handle and enjoy rowdy bunches.

He had been dealing with Matsukawa and Hanamaki for years and had never complained.

So, his days were uneventful, not that he’d really had a problem with that. However, the night before the first of classes, was an ugly sort of day. A torrential downpour appeared seemingly out of nowhere, making it impossible to do anything fun or active as everyone waited for the thunderous rain to stop, or at least slow into a drizzle. The air was humid and sticky, made staying in one room for too long unbearable and the thought of blankets sound like a fluffy, heated prison. So, Iwaizumi resigned himself to staying on his floor and his head stuck out the window, the window sill just above keeping his head dry. He watched the burst of lightning behind clouds and listened to the shattering claps of thunder in the distance.

There was a tentative knock at the door, which he hadn’t turned to give his attention to, knowing fully well by that it was Sugawara coming in to visit Sawamura like he did everyday. And, sure enough, by the sound of a warm hello, Iwaizumi was right. However, he wasn’t alone. Iwaizumi had gotten a glimpse of him before the Sugawara’s friend left. Hw remembered that he was tall and practically radiated energy, but nothing else really stood out to Iwaizumi. Then again, Iwaizumi had only seen him as he left. He had talked amicably if not a little teasingly to Sawamura and Sugawara in a light voice, all about the days they could hold study sessions with the others or movie nights (when the two soulmates weren’t busy having other types of fun, of course) before waving good0bye to them as he took his leave.

Now, the very next day, was a genuine nightmare to trudge through. The professors had wasted not a second of class. Not only had they decided to go over the syllabus in excruciating detail, but they had immediately delved into lectures just afterwards. (Although, Iwaizumi was proud of himself for how well he had prepared ahead of time.) Most of them chatted so fast that Iwaizumi was certain they were exactly like a movie on fast forward. How were any of them finding time to breathe between their words without taking a pause? But he was making it just fine, and by about 15:00, he was already headed for his final class of the day.

Astronomy.

Now, Iwaizumi had never really held any particular interest in avidly studying he great unknown otherwise known as outer space, but when that class only had a few spaces left and the stars trickled from his fingertips like droplets of water, he knew that he had no choice but to try and get into that class. So, he did, and now he was stuck in a stale lab environment, filled with students of various ages who all looked just as out of place as he felt. As they waited for the last few minutes before the class would start up to tick away, they all sat in a disquieting silence, like they all wanted to say something but were too afraid their voices would crack if they tried and then get laughed at.

That wasn’t an abnormal feeling, though, as everyone often felt like that on the first day of any class, sometimes they still felt like that weeks into the course. College was nerve-wracking.

Suddenly, the door was flung out with a flourish and a boy skipped merrily into the class like he owned the place. He surveyed the room, zeroed in, and chose the eat right next to Iwaizumi, humming a nonsensical tune to himself. “Hello there,” he greeted, holding his hand out. The motion, and Iwaizumi’s learned manners forced to now turn and to, probably, greet his lab partner for the semester. “My name is Oikawa Tooru!”

Oh, so this was Sugawara Koushi’s best friend and roommate. The gardening and SciFi fanatic. Iwaizumi was wondering when he would actually run into him instead of just watching him walk out of his dorm room. Not that he had been particularly looking forward to it, but more like Iwaizumi was curious and wanted to size the guy up for himself rather than rely on the bias of others. He wanted to know how much of an asshole this guy really was.

However . . .

One glimpse at the boy with nerdy glasses and wearing a ridiculously printed shirt of the original movie poster to _Alien_ stamped on the front was enough to send an absurd amount of heat crawling up his neck. Oikawa Tooru was gorgeous with hair so brown and windswept, doe brown eyes with golden flecks a swirl of bright ambition, creamy skin that seemed to be without a single damn flaw. He was tall, lean, wore a captivating smile that revealed a small slice of white teeth, and with his head held high he seemed to overflow with a contagious confidence that Iwaizumi was sure everyone else in the room could feel. Oikawa Tooru was a king, beautifully regal and he knew it, and was probably more than comfortable in using it to his advantage.

All Iwaizumi needed was just one look to know that this boy was capable of just about anything. It was all in his eyes, the decisive forwardness and unrelenting zeal. It really wouldn’t take much for someone to fall head over heels for Oikawa Tooru, and iwaizumi could already feeling himself doing just that.

“Iwaizumi Hajime,” he finally replied as they shook hands.

As they waited through the remaining minutes before the class started (how early did Iwaizumi even get here?) he listened to Oikawa tap a meaningless, little beat against their lab station and hum to himself. The sound was so small but completely captivating that Iwaizumi had to force himself to stare at his notes so his eyes wouldn’t wander over to Oikawa beside him. A little part of him felt aflutter, like a butterfly testing its wings for the first time, because in a world full of destinies and strings of fate people to one another, the feeling of total admiration blooming in Iwaizumi’s chest that seemingly came out of nowhere was the hardest feeling to ignore, but the more cynical, tried and tested side of him was trying to push of of this feeling down. Because he had become invested in other people and only gotten hurt in the end.

_You lost your chance. Don’t get your hopes up. Don’t wish for this. You’re here to move on, to give up. You’ll only get crushed in the end if you even dare to think he’s the one._

So, Iwaizumi didn’t trust himself to speak, fearing that his words might come out stuttered or he might attempt a compliment and have it come out completely wrong. He had been told that he was very blunt. He wasn’t good at introductions, being very straightforward. His longtime friends Hanamaki and Matsukawa would often tease him for his brusque yet humble nature. It wasn’t easy meeting a new people and having to go through the whole getting-to-know-you phase all over again.

It seemed, though, that Oikawa Tooru was far from afraid of small talk, with an encouraging smile quirking up the corners of his mouth. “So, why’d you decide to take this class, Iwaizumi Hajime?”

“Um.” Iwaizumi searched for the right words so he wouldn’t sound so damn lost, even though he was certain he looked it. “Well, I kind of have an attachment to stars, I guess. Did lots of stargazing when I was a kid.” It technically wasn’t a lie, but is it still considered stargazing when the stars are coming out from your fingers and back and forming a crown around your head rather than being up in the sky?

“Me too!” Oikawa beamed, voice bright and bubbly with glee. His smile was brighter than the goddamn sun. “When I was a kid I had this lamp, a nightlight really, that projected the constellations and stars and planets onto my ceiling. I used to pretend I was an alien searching for coordinates of the next planet I was going to visit!”

Their conversation that Iwaizumi would’ve been more than happy to continue was abruptly silenced by the sudden drop of the overhead lights as the teacher strode into the room. Then a voice, sounding very much like a blurry photograph, resonated through the room as a video appeared on the board at the front of the class. Oikawa perked up at the sound like a kid who was promised free candy. _“Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before!”_

“Oh great,” Iwaizumi grumbled. “We have a. Nerdy as fuck professor.” For iwaizumi, this wasn’t something totally unheard of. He chuckled to himself as he thought of the sponsor for the drama club at his old high school. That was an eccentric teacher.

“This going to be the best class ever!” Oikawa whisper-shouted, elatedly shaking Iwaizumi’s by the shoulder as he bounced, still very much like a kid, in his seat. “That was the sound clip of the intro that plays at the beginning of every episode in the original _Star Trek_ series! That’s Captain Kirk talking!”

Oikawa’s face was alight with excitement, like this was the moment he had been waiting for his whole life. There was no denying it, Oikawa Tooru loved and adored anything to do with space. At the sight of his electric smile, Iwaizumi couldn’t help but let his own lips curve into a small, fond smile. It was an was an endearing sight after all and for a moment, he let his guard slip and he could feel hope rush through his veins once again. If he could make someone smile like that, then everything would be worth it, especially if they shined as brilliantly as Oikawa smiled.

The teacher ended the video after the iconic opening credits finished, Oikawa singing the music to himself, and began going over the syllabus. Oikawa was delighted to see that they would be required to write papers on the life and death of stars and have an in-class discussion over different types of telescopes and their make and models. Iwaizumi, meanwhile, was muttering to himself about how he was going to fit in enough time to write all these damn peppers and still find time to, maybe, _sleep_.

Oikawa noticed his souring mood and elbowed him gently to get his attention. He was smiling again, maybe a bit bashfully, a tinge of rose dusting his cheeks. “Hey, wanna see something cool?”

“We do have to pay attention to the professor, Oikawa,” Iwaizumi answered. Oikawa Tooru was certainly a bit of an attention hog, wasn’t he?

“Aw, come on. The syllabus is online, so we can check it out some other time. My question is this: Do you want see something cool?”

Giving in, Iwaizumi placed his pencil off to the side and shrugged. He didn’t really have the energy to hear the same sit all the professors say on the first day of every single class, so he would let himself wander off just this once. What was the harm in a little, well-deserved leisure on the first day? “Sure, why not, what is it?”

“My soulmate magic,” Oikawa whispered giddily. He stared at Iwaizumi, probably waiting for an _Oh my god, my mind is blown!_ kind of expression.

But something cold consumed Iwaizumi, all previously rising hopes suddenly dashed at those words. He cursed himself for being stupid. He felt like something warm, like his final match for warmth in a cold winter was suddenly ripped from him, leaving a horrible and hollow wound in his chest. Of course Oikawa Tooru had a his soulmate already, they both probably had an amazing magic as well. Iwaizumi felt so dumb for even daring to think otherwise. However, he quickly reminded himself that he was used to this and just needed to be more careful about his tendency towards wishful thinking in the future.

In the meantime, Oikawa’s brilliant grin morphed into a confident smirk. “I know, I know. It’s hard to believe that someone as amazing as moi could be tied down, right? It’s hard on everyone really, since they’re just dying to get a piece of this,” he said, motioning to himself an excessive flourish. He was giggling like he had jut told a hilarious joke and simply not sounded like some ridiculous princely-type right out of a cliché, romance manga.

Okay, so Suga and Daichi hadn’t been lying when they said Oikawa Tooru could come across as conceited.

“Your friends don’t sell you short,” Iwaizumi chuckled, arching a brown at the display. “You really can be a bit of a conceited dick, can’t you?”

The look on Oikawa’s face was utterly _priceless_. (Iwaizumi later wished he’d pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of it.) So baffled and agape with indignant, his cheeks growing carmine with embarrassment, all as he stuttered and searched for the proper words for a comeback of sorts. The sight made Iwaizumi snort out a laugh as he tried his best to keep his laughter low as as not to alert the professor to their lack of studious attention. It probably wasn’t often that Oikawa was put in his place, so Iwaizumi was proud to be the one to give a good shove off his high horse.

It might just be as well that Oikawa wasn’t his soulmate. Iwaizumi had a short temper and didn’t know for how long he would be able to deal with Oikawa’s sudden changes from cute to conceited.

“You’re mean. How could you say something like that to me? I’m sensitive,” Oikawa whispered, sticking his tongue out at Iwaizumi.

Then he scooted his stool closer to Iwaizumi’s and pulled up his bad to shield their actions from the sight of their teacher. He then held up his hands between them and smiled at Iwaizumi before closing his eyes. There, in the palms of his hands, leaped tiny stars that initially flickered with uncertainty but eventually grew brighter as more appeared, springing from his fingertips now too. They began to hover above his hands swirling in the air like a hurricane of light. Neither of them noticed that the professor and the res to the class was now staring at them in awe as more and more stars appeared, forming clusters and supernovas that filled the air around both Oikawa and Iwaizumi, creating a small universe where only they existed and nobody else did.

Iwaizumi could only watch as a mixture of conflicted feelings surged through him in waves, some refreshing and gentle and others crashing and torrential like they were trying to drown him. On one hand, he had never felt more at home in his life, watching Oikawa conjure up stars like it took nothing more than a simple wish, but he also couldn’t help the nagging in the back of his mind. Oikawa didn’t seem to feel that Iwaizumi was _here_ , but Iwaizumi could feel that Oikawa was here. It was more than just recognizing someone in your midst, it was recognizing your soulmate. They belonged together, were _soulmates_ , but ti seemed that this wasn’t even occurring to Oikawa who now just seemed wrapped up in his own little wonders and stars.

It was painful, the worst kind of pain Iwaizumi had ever experienced. Any rejection in the past that he’d felt from that that he had found his soulmate but riding out the they belonged to someone else was nothing practically nothing compared to this. This wasn’t just rejection. This was Oikawa just . . . not feeling that iwaizumi existed and was right here, right next to to him. Suddenly, Iwaizumi felt alone, so very alone. The stars above his head flicked sadly like dying Christmas lights as he felt a suffocating clench over his whole body. He wasn’t angry now, but how could he not be? He had searched for _years_ , since he was eight-years-old, trying to find the one that his stars were meant for. Now, here he was, _his soulmate_ , conjuring up their magics, the ability that was supposed to tie them together and be their special quirk, for everyone else to see without a care.

Was he being an asshole on purpose?

“Kid, what’s your name?” the professor asked, suddenly turning off his powerpoint as he studied the two of them with thought. He didn’t seem upset, thank gods, but Iwaizumi still straightened up and scooted his syllabus right back in front of him to divert further suspicion.

“Oikawa Tooru,” Oikawa replied, retracting the magics quickly once he realized the they had an audience, like he was suddenly ashamed of his powers. Another jolt of pain hit Iwaizumi. It wasn’t hard to see that Oikawa was absolutely reveling like a performer on a stage, basking in the attention he was receiving from their professor and fellow students.

“I’m going to turn off the lights, and I want you to do that again. I don’t think there’s a great introduction to Astronomy than actually seeing the stars up close and personal.”

Oikawa broke out into a smile so bright that Helios, the Greek god of the sun, would’ve been envious, and nodded vigorously. He turned to Iwaizumi and said, with braggart tone, “See? I’m so amazing that even our teacher is captivated by me.”

Iwaizumi only nodded numbly as the lights around them went out once more. Oikawa opened his hands again and galaxies burst forth like a confession until the entire room felt like zero gravity, like they were floating in space itself. Stars bright than any iwaizumi couldst summoned sprung across the classroom and comets sailed their heads in blue arcs. All the students _oohed_ and _ahhed_ at the magnificent sight, reaching out to touch them but only that their hands passed trough like the images around them were nothing more than a projection.

Their teacher strode forward and smiled, nodding his head with a pleased grin. “Isn’t it beautiful, students?” he asked. “Such a wonderful sight and dream that it really is a shame that none of us could actually touch the stars.”

“Yeah, it’s real pity, teach,” Iwaizumi half-heartedly agreed, most to himself.

He reached out and flicked one of the stars away from his eyes, like it was an insect. Oikawa gave him a trembling stare, opening his mouth to say something, a warm feeling spreading throughout his body, but he couldn’t find the words. Oikawa Tooru was speechless. So, he resigned himself to be perfectly content staring at Iwaizumi Hajime surrounded by stars, looking very much like the perfect astronaut. However, Iwaizumi didn’t notice one bit, as he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts about how perfect Oikawa also looked in the stars.

* * * * * *

_“Are you all by yourself?”_

_“Huh?”_

_“It’s my birthday today and I don’t want to see anyone sad on my birthday. Do you want to come over and play with me?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might update again later this week because the chapter was a little short. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. I Don’t Know If It’s Worth It Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, you’re in Astronomy with Oikawa?” Sugawara asked conversationally, tapping the little doodles on the Iwaizumi’s notebook. He was smiling like he already knew the juicy details, but was deciding to prod anyway. “How’s that going?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am sorry that this didn't come out on Wednesday, but wild college things are appearing and all my counterattacks are useless . . . So, November is going to be insanely sketchy for updates. Once the month is over, then I should be fine, but until then I have two stage productions to create sound design for, but I'm still working on this. Slowly but surely, in between screaming and crying in QLab. Music for a musical is easy, buy the fucking rights, but putting together sound effects? Fuck sound effects.
> 
> Again, I am very sorry that this chapter was delayed. I hope it's all right.

_“I want to catch bugs!”_

_“But bugs are gross!”_

_“Okay, but what about butterflies?”_

_“. . . I like butterflies.”_

* * * * * *

Studying was always a chore, but Iwaizumi was glad he wasn’t stuck doing it all alone. Sugawara and Sawamura’s pleasant presence and easily encouraging words, their own magic, made the experience much better than he could’ve hoped for. Comfortably, the three of them were settled in a coffee shop that always smelt of mocha and caramel. By about this time, the shop was relatively empty, so the three were left to their devices and suffering of hard classes. Iwaizumi was grateful for the quiet so he could focus on his Astronomy notes. Much to his annoyance, he didn’t quite seem to have the knack for the subject, but Oikawa Tooru knew so much that Iwaizumi swore the guy was straight from Mars.

“So, you’re in Astronomy with Oikawa?” Sugawara asked, conversationally. He tapped the little doodles on Iwaizumi’s notebook with his purple pen. He was smiling like he knew a juicy secret, but was decided to prod at Iwaizumi anyway. “How’s that going?”

Iwaizumi’s eyes fell onto the little scribbles surrounding he edges of his papers. One was of a little, grey alien, another of a UFO spaceship, but most of them were of stars and flowers in a rainbow of inks, like the idiot had been drawing Iwaizumi his own little garden. At first, Iwaizumi had tried to stop him, told him to fuck off because he didn’t want any crappy drawings all over his notes, but Oikawa wasn’t one to be assuaged all that easily. He had just smiled that thousand watt smile and told Iwaizumi that he would thank him later. He had then gone back to his after giving Iwaizumi a subtle wink.

So, he had given up and allowed OIkawa to doodle all over his papers, ignored the bursts of electricity that burned his skin whenever their hands brushed during their lab, and did his very best to keep himself from thinking that the drawings were really cute.

Iwaizumi had never met someone so desperate to love space. He was constantly amazed by Oikawa’s vast knowledge of Astronomy and was downright envious of the way his lab partner was able to make easy conversation with their classmates, playfully flirt with any and all that approached their table. It was annoying, gut-wrenchingly vexing, and sent a cold feeling through Iwaizumi’s blood. Even though they talked, and even though Oikawa seemed to have the strangest fascination with him, Iwaizumi tried his best to feel nothing, but he was completely failing.

For so long, he had wondered what the day would be like that he met his soulmate. He never imagined that it would anything be anything short of the whole “oh my god it’s you!” moment. However, he didn’t know if he could love Oikawa Tooru. There had to be some mistake. Destiny must’ve fucked up somewhere along the line. Or that’s why he kept telling himself. They were so different that there wasn’t any way that Oikawa Tooru was his one and only soulmate. Oikawa was a social butterfly, thriving off attention others showered upon him because he was amazing, but iwaizumi proffered to talk to those he was close and not branch out so much, and definitely preferred to not make scene on the first day. He didn’t want anyone to see his tiny, dying stars that couldn’t do much other than bounce off his fingertips.

Oikawa could create galaxies, but Iwaizumi felt like he was only good at creating stars that would end up becoming black holes. They weren’t soulmates, and if they were, iwaizumi was trying to convince himself that he didn’t want to be. But the more he got to know Oikawa Tooru, the more he really, really did. The differences while there, were still attractive.

“He’s kind of a fucking brat,” Iwaizumi finally answered, a bit gruffer than he meant to come across. He scratched out one of the doodles halfheartedly. He was going to be a bit honest about his view of the guy, didn’t see the idea of beating around the bush to be anything worthwhile.

Sugawara’s warm smile turned into a frown for a split second, but didn’t argue. He seemed like he definitely had a thing or two to give his opinion about, but there was something holding him. Something that, Iwaizumi suspected, went by the name of Oikawa Tooru. “He takes some getting used to, I’ll admit that,” Sugawara said, speaking up in an attempt to alleviate some of the oncoming tension. “He’ll grow on you, though.”

“Like mold?” Iwaizumi asked.

Sawamura snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, like mold. He can initially come off as annoying, but it’s really to feel you out, to see if you’re trustworthy enough to be his friend. He doesn’t just go out and welcome everyone into his circle.” He pressed his index finger to the backs[ace button and held it there as he erased every he’d he currently written for the paper that was currently tormenting his existence. “He really isn’t all that bad underneath. You just have to get past “Oikawa Tooru,” the lively bachelor with extravagant soulmate magic, to meet Oikawa Tooru, the idiot who will ramble and ramble out musicals, space, and his flowers, and who doesn’t know who his own soulmate is.”

That was true all right. Iwaizumi had already caught a few rare glimpses of a softer not quite as presentational Oikawa. His small, concentrated smile and soft eyes he let slip while he squiggled flowers and stars away on Iwaizumi’s papers. He had felt the contagious enthusiasm whenever Oikawa talked about how if someone (actually, he’d said if it was an alien) from the Andromeda Galaxy looked through a telescope at the Earth, it would see humans as they were now but as an embarrassing number of Australopithecus wandering around (all because of how time passed in space or some shit like that). It was hard to stay mad at Oikawa when he was that bright, that incredible, but Iwaizumi is nothing but persistent with his anger, even if he understood now that it was being misplaced.

Who was he kidding, though, really? Even Sugawara could probably see right through him like he was made of glass, and they hadn’t even known each other that long yet. So, of course his mind would always end up traveling to thoughts of him and Oikawa as soulmates and not just classmates.

“But what do you think about him?” Sugawara pressed, leaning forward now, resting on his elbows. “Would you be friends with him?” He raised an eyebrow suggestively and leaned forward even further. “Or more?”

How the fuck—? Does he read goddamn minds? Iwaizumi cleared his throat and ignored the slight jab. “I’d like to be the guy that sends him into space so I don’t have to deal with him any longer.”

Sawamura nodded. “Do us all a favor and send Bokuto and Kuroo with him as well.”

“Don’t really know who they are, but consider it done, my friend.”

The rest of the study/completely last minute homework assignments session with Sawamura and Sugawara dragged on for what seemed like days, ending when they said that they had to meeting Oikawa and Kuroo for a late lunch, and though they had invited Iwaizumi, he had declined their offer. So, he was now trudging down the trail around campus back towards his dorm (which was a quick walk). It wasn’t that he enjoyed their company, he just wanted some time to think by himself.

Iwaizumi had noticed that days he didn’t have to be in class with Oikawa seemed like an eternity of waiting until the next time he’d see him. His time with Oikawa always went by too fast, like catching a fleeting glimpse of a shooting star out of the corner of your eye. He wondered if that was a soulmate thing, but he decided to put those thoughts aside. So, now he was back at his dorm room, exhausted from writing up a paper on his worldview for his Intro to Philosophy class. He was lying idly on his bed and reading an article from another class as the soundtrack to _Pulp Fiction_ played as background noise (mostly Misirlou on repeat).

It was hard to focus, really because the article was boring and writing about worldviews had lead to spiral of thoughts. Loads of people looked at this world where soulmates, bound together by constricting strings of fate, were something that couldn’t go wrong and were the best thing to smile about. Everyone found their someone or someones (if you and your soulmates were polyamorous), so what was the point of mourning your temporarily loveless love life when all would be sort by the universe in due time? What was the point of delving into why your worldview was the way it is because of your belief in “insert-your-choice-of-religion-here” when it could or could not change when you met your soulmate?

However, something Iwaizumi was frightened to think about was definitely something that many of his friends had taken a second to ponder about but hadn’t let it trouble them for long was this: What if your soulmate doesn’t want you, never wants you?

Is it a different kind of hurt?

Ever since Iwaizumi met Oikawa Tooru, the boy that he was adamantly trying to shut out, the boy whose stars were alight with life and wonder while Iwaizumi’s were like dying embers, he had felt cold and hollow. He felt like he wasn’t wanted, wasn’t needed, wasn’t as loved as the typical soulmate. He didn’t feel the butterflies of delight or didn’t feel like he was in some picture perfect romantic comedy like he knew others did. For some reason, fate had decided that Iwaizumi was going to draw the short end of the stick and end up with a soulmate that didn’t want him. If this was the way the universe was showing it had a sense of humor, then Iwaizumi wasn’t really getting the fucking joke.

The thoughts wouldn’t leave him alone, screaming at him until he was forced to think about Oikawa Tooru, effectively managing to drone out Misirlou.

Yanking out his ears and tossing them aside, Iwaizumi let his head fall onto his notepad and groan. It was next to impossible to complete any schoolwork with Oikawa Tooru on the mind. He was so . . . _distracting_. Those impossibly wide, chocolate brown eyes, lips that were just too damn tempting for any same man, and a voice that sticks with you throughout the rest of the day . . . Gods, Iwaizumi felt like a fucking mess.

Glancing down at his notepad, Iwaizumi stared at the various scribbles of messages and little doodles left by Oikawa. They were really fucking cute. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he could find himself tracing the patterns absentmindedly and feeling a very strong sense of belonging in doing so. Why did he do it? He was only going to get himself in trouble, emotionally, if he kept acting like he wanted to get attached. And while he did want to get attached, gods did he want to fall in love with Oikawa Tooru, it would be safer not to and to just get used to not feeling wanted.

As Iwaizumi finally lifted his head up to try and focus on his homework again, a familiar voice drifted through the hallway stopping just outside his room. “So, Oikawa, Daichi tells me that you have Astronomy with his roommate, how’s that going?”

And at that, Iwaizumi immediately tensed into ice, his pencil flying from his rasp and clinking against the floor. Curse you, Sugawara, and curse your desire to meddle in my nonexistent love life. Sawamura, have my back and stop this before it starts.

“Oh, you mean Iwa-chan? Didn’t we have this conversation before?” Oikawa’s voice replied, light and jovial as always. Iwaizumi could almost see him purse his lips pensively. Then he heard him giggle, fair and airy, when Sugawara pretended like they had never discussed Iwaizumi in their spare time. “Fine, fine. I like him, but I don’t think the feeling is mutual, Suga-chan.”

“I dunno, Oikawa, I’ve heard something that says others.” Like what, Sugawara, like what?

“He acts like he tolerates me is all, but I think he really just wants to throttle me. But . . .”

“Yeah?” Sugawara pressed. “But what?”

“Usually, when I try long enough and people still don’t like me, you know me, I just kind of give up. But I really want him to like me, though. I think we could be really great friends! There’s definitely something there. I can _feel_ it, Suga-chan.”

Iwaizumi’s heart involuntarily thudded like the beating of drums. He slapped his cheeks, trying to calm himself down. So, Oikawa felt something too? He felt like laughing; he was so overjoyed that it wasn’t just him.

“Like _soulmate_ feel it or _I-want-to-be-your-friend-so-hard_ feel it?” Sugawara pressed giddily. Did Sugawara have a sixth sense or something? How could he suspect these things, and be right?

“Suga, are are you, interrogating him?” Sawamura’s voice asked, chuckling awkwardly. It was probably because he shared a room with Iwaizumi, so his potty in the middle of the whole conversation was made all the more tricky. Even if Iwaizumi hadn’t overheard this talk, he would’ve known that they talked about him because Sawamura was a terrible liar.

“Interrogating your best friend on their on their love interests is what best friends do, darling,” Sugawara drawled.

“It’s true,” Oikawa agreed, without missing a beat. “I interrogated the shit out of my beloved Suga-chan here after his first date with you, Dai-chan. You guys really like to kiss during any type of first time, don’t you?” Iwaizumi knew, without a shred of doubt, that Oikawa was waggling his eyebrows at the two of them.

“You told him everything?” The fearful, embarrassed crack in Sawamura’s voice nearly made burst out laughing, but he manage to stifle it into an ugly-looking, soundless chuckle, all so he could continue eavesdropping with ease.

Sugawara, on the other hand, was completely free to trust out into unbridled laughter, which he did. “I can’t lie to my best friend, Daichi. Especially when said best friend is Oikawa, the nosiest little shit aside from Kuroo. He can tell when someone’s lying a mile away and will do anything to get the truth out of me, or did you want to be the one interrogated by him? I will tell you this, there are way more fun things in life than be subjected to a series of intense questions by Oikawa.”

“Suga-chan, what are you talking about? I am an absolute joy to talk to!” Oikawa objected, stomping his foot like a child about to throw an tantrum. He raise his voice and called out, “Tetsu-chan?!”

“Oi?” a voice further down the hall answered, a door squeaking open. A few video game sounds followed shortly afterwards.

“Am I a joy to talk to?” Oikawa asked, with an air of confidence.

“When you’re asleep, yeah.”

“ _Tetsu-chan!_ ” Oikawa let out the most indignant, embarrassing squawk Iwaizumi had ever heard in his life. And somehow it was somehow hilarious and so endearing at the same time.

He felt so silly. Oikawa Tooru was human, so why was Iwaizumi busying himself by wasting so much time on think about him like he was something completely unattainable or incomprehensible? Oikawa was so tangibly human, and Iwaizumi felt foolish for not seeing it sooner. He was just like Iwaizumi, someone who was missing his soulmate, just like Iwaizumi. he had friends that teased him and cared for him, just like how Iwaizumi had Matsukawa and Hanamaki. Iwaizumi hadn't even considered the possibility that Oikawa's ostentatious personality might have been a cover for how he might really feel about not knowing who his soulmate was, that maybe showing off his magics was an attempt to try and coax his soulmate out of hiding. It would make sense.

It was like he was shooting fireworks into the sky, spelling out: I'm here. See my stars and come find me. (Though, knowing Oikawa, it probably sounded much more demanding than that version.)

Iwaizumi let himself flop onto the floor and huff, scraping his fingers through his hair a tad too roughly. Being soulmates was much more than just meeting someone and feeling that instant click that you belonged with hat person. It was growing and learning farther than a fated meeting. Iwaizumi knew he was a little dense, and maybe just a bit bitter from years of being unfound, but Oikawa Tooru was here now, wasn't he? Iwaizumi just had to get to know him, see how and why they were soulmates.

God, he really was a teenager, changing his mind and going back and further on the subject at the snap of his fingers. _Make up your damn mind already, would you?_

Iwaizumi leaned back against the door and it softly clicked shut. He listened to Oikawa argue with “Tetsu-chan” down the hall and he smiled. Oikawa Tooru was unforgettable, which brought up another thought. Since Iwaizumi and Oikawa both had their soulmate magic, then they must have met before. Iwaizumi felt certain that he should remember his soulmate, especially know that he had officially met him. So, how and when had they met and parted ways without realizing that they were each other's soulmates.

* * * * * *

_"So, are you new to the neighborhood?"_

_"I'm here visiting family for my birthday party."_

_"How old are you now?"_

_"I'm eight!"_

_"Me too!" There was a pause. "Are you sure it's okay for me to come over and play?"_

_"The backyard is huuuuuuge! No one will notice! We can play volleyball, or catch butterflies, or lizards--"_

_"Lizards?!"_

_"Yeah, my auntie's garden is crawling with them! They're so fast!"_

_"Heh, I could catch one with my hands!"_

_"Let's make it an epic challenge! Whoever catches the most lizards and butterflies is the Champion of the World!"_

_"Sounds like too much responsibility."_

_"Then if I win, you become my best friend. And if you win . . . ?"_

_"You have to eat a lizard!"_

_"EW! No, that's super gross, Iwa-chan! If you win, then I will give you all the lizards I catch!"_

_"You're on!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, this may not be a very long fic. I've been looking through my notes for this whole thing, and I realized that I really don't want to stretch this thing fic out, so count on, at most, 20k words.
> 
> I hope this chapter was all right, with a conflicted Iwaizumi, but he should make more progress next chapter . . . where there are plenty more stars and we see how the two first met.

**Author's Note:**

> Scream into the endless void of Tumblr with me: http://idontevenlogic.tumblr.com


End file.
